Day 12.
September 1st, 2021.
I was awake very early.
Seemed like my body had had enough rest.
I instinctively remembered that it was my 2nd granddaughter’s birthday.
My gosh. 10 years old today!
Where are the years going?
Seems like just yesterday she was born.
I set about getting myself ready for the day’s journey ahead of me and prepared to call her and sing to wish her a happy birthday - my “first-thing-in-the-morning tradition” of every birthday for each and every one of our family birthdays!
It was a cold morning at around 8’C (46’F) and still very windy when I pulled away from the hotel at 7:00 a.m.
My mind drifted to the thought of nothing much more than the journey to relish from this point forward.
I had come this far away from most of the things and places I wanted to see and experience on this trip and it was beginning to dawn on me that I was actually on my way back home.
Back home to “big city” life.
The highway lay ahead of me with no end in sight.
The Wind came across the highway with no break in sight.
Today, my plan was to make it to Sioux Falls, SD.
Numbness in my hands today was getting persistent and worse than on previous days that I could remember.
Prior to now, the numbness would clear as quickly as I would relax my grip on the handles, but today not.
It was really affecting my state of being.
I stayed on the highway and in the wind for another 40 km (25 mi) until I just couldn’t bear it anymore!
Exiting the highway onto Route 8, I pulled into a Dollar General Store, waited around for another hour till they opened and went in to buy something/some kind of material I could use as padding to protect my hands.
Seems that all the past days of having such a tight grip on my handlebars in the strong wind, were beginning to have an effect on me.
I found and purchased a couple of beer “cuzzis” that provided material of which, in my mind, would be perfect for my needs.
So out in the parking lot, I reached into my luggage and “fished out” a roll of Gorilla Tape and fashioned some functionally, soft-padded grips that my hands became so grateful for!
With renewed vigor and gusto I continued my journey along the interstate, blasting my way through the almost-nothingness of the open prairie, towards and through Bismark, ND and beyond.
I was getting bored and frustrated with the monotony of the interstate.
So much “nothingness”, I was fighting the wind, trying to gain relief from the numbness in my hands and not knocking down the miles as quickly as I would have liked.
I really felt that I wanted no more of the interstate under these conditions.
I got off the interstate at the next exit that came up, turning south onto Route 83 into a Cenex Gas Station for a “pit stop”.
I settled for a can of Pepsi and Hot Dog.
The ST was thirsty enough and settled for some Ethanol-free, Premium Unleaded fuel - all of $7.29 worth.
I sat underneath a beautiful big tree at the end of the yard at one of the provided benches.
The wind was really ferocious now and coming at me head-on, with gusts so strong that it was more than enough to blow my can of Pepsi and hot dog off the bench multiple times.
Even the Trash receptacles at the gas pumps were tied down to secure them in the breeze!
having lost half of my Pepsi due to this, the only way I could alleviate this problem was to keep a grip on both, and down both as quickly as I could - so much for a relaxed break off the road.
Thereafter I suited back up and headed back into the wind, but this time moving southwards, crossing back into South Dakota after about 2.5 hours and decided to pull over for a mandatory rehydration break.
As usual I made a photo op out of it.
Motoring on, the GPS unit turned me eastwards just after the town of Herreid, SD, a speck of a little town like quite a few others that I had come through.
So small that I almost didn’t even notice going through them.
Besides being out in the open prairies, there was not much here to explore and see, but to experience the vast openness of the land.
In 90 km (56 mi) since I turned back eastwards onto Highway 10, I arrived in a town called Leola, SD and recall passing through only one other little town along the way.
Statistics have it that the population here is 434 (as of 2020).
This was truly open country.
This was truly small town America.
But it left a very lasting impression on me because everyone I came into contact with, from the passers-by to the patrons in the Cafe within the convenience store at the gas station I stopped at, were nothing short of downright friendly and hospitable.
They effortlessly and warmly exchanged pleasantries with me, engaging me in conversation and radiated very warm hospitality, inviting me to join coffee-hour at their table with them.
It brought into very sharp distinction, my personal view between folks here and in the bigger cities of America.
Although the bike did not desperately need fuel at this time, I nevertheless went ahead and filled up the tank.
Out here in the prairies I was not prepared to take a chance on not being able to find a gas station when I would indeed need one.
I still had many miles of openness to traverse.
A good rule of thumb I have followed all these years of touring is to try to be smart about taking advantage of every opportunity to “gas up”.
Especially in the afternoons, leading into the evenings and nights.
Every time I’ve not practiced that rule it has not been very stressful!
Running out of gas at night is not the most exciting or adventurous experience when out on vacation.
The feeling of desperation is not my idea of fun!
I motored on, making making it back to my hotel in Sioux Falls close to 8:30 p.m. where I had a room waiting for me - arrangements that I made several days earlier when I had left here on my outbound journey.
All was good, all was well.
I made my phone calls to register with those concerned.